Three things to know about Fairfield at NC State

Fairfield (5-3) returns to the Triangle for the second time in 13 months. The Stags lost at North Carolina (92-65) last November. Three things to know about Sunday’s game between the Stags and Wolfpack:

1. Building confidence

N.C. State (8-2) finally put a team away on Thursday (Appalachian State) and now looks to build some momentum with games against Fairfield, McNeese State (2-6) and Rider (7-3) around the Christmas break.

2. Finding his sea legs

Or perhaps shooting legs is more apt for sophomore wing Maverick Rowan, either way, he looked more comfortable in the Wolfpack’s 97-64 win over Appalachian State on Thursday. Rowan, who missed seven games with a concussion, had 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench in his second game back.

3. This offense looks familiar

Older N.C. State fans will recognize the offense the Stags run. Coach Sydney Johnson played at Princeton and coached the Tigers before leaving his alma mater in 2011. Herb Sendek employed a similar scheme in the early 2000s, although Johnson has his own twist on Pete Carril’s system.

Joe Giglio

This story was originally published December 17, 2016 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Three things to know about Fairfield at NC State."